Why Worship?

Contents:

1. The Nature of God

2. The Revelation of Who God Is
3. "The Biblical Basis"
4. Scriptures that Speak of our response to God:
5. What Happens When We Worship
6. Challenge

Introduction:

What we are going to look at today is the Biblical basis for our praise and worship. It is
such an integral part of our church life but very often we don’t stop to think why we do it.

To be able to answer the question “Why do we worship?” we need to define what we mean
by worship and look at the God that we are worshipping…

Definition:

In Strong’s Concordance 1 word for worship is for the word used in Matthew 2 vs. 1 - 2

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the
east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the
Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

4352. proskuneo pros-koo-neh'-o = to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn
or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to,
adore): -- worship.

The Nature of God

God is completely secure in who He is. He never feels insecure, He never feels
discouraged, He never feels inadequate. Unlike us, He never feels down or depressed, He
never feels stressed or under pressure. He is never bored, He is never confused, He is
never uncertain; He is never unclear about what he is doing. He is never afraid. He is
never not all knowing, never not all seeing. He is never not all powerful, never not all
loving, never not all just or never not all merciful.

Exodus 3, verse 14: “God said to Moses ‘I Am who I Am’ "

Jesus echoed this in John 8:58, "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham
was born, I am!"

That statement transcends time and space. Before anything was I AM. Before anything will
be I AM. He didn't say “I was”. He didn't say “I will be”. He said "I AM." God is past, present
and future. He is the beginning and the end. Everything came from Him and one day
everything will return to Him. He is everything.

"l Am who l Am" - He is completely and utterly secure in who He is. God does not need
our Praise!

God does not have any needs, therefore God does not need our praise! God doesn't need
us to worship Him.

Acts 17:24-25 says, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of
heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by
human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath
and everything else."
Psalm 33 vs. 6-7 “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the
breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into
storehouses.”

The Revelation of Who God Is

Scripture shows us that praise and worship are a response to who God is and what He
has done. When we look at the times God revealed himself to his people, the natural
response was always one of spontaneous, celebratory and passionate praise and worship,
and that is still the case.

It is only to the measure that you have seen and

experienced the person and presence of God that you
can truly worship Him.

Matt Redman’s song “Seeing You”

This is a time for seeing and singing

This is a time for breathing You in
And breathing out Your praise
Our hearts repsond to Your revelation
All you are showing, all we have seen
Commands a life of praise

No one can sing of things they have not seen

God, open our eyes towards a greater glimpse
The glory of You, the glory of You
God, open our eyes towards a greater glimpse

Worship starts with seeing You

Worship starts with seeing You
Our hearts respond to Your revelation
Worship starts with seeing You
Worship starts with seeing You
Our hearts respond to Your revelation
Isaiah had a revelation of the glory of God:

Isaiah 6 vs. 1-5 (NIV):

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high
and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they
covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were
flying.

3 And they were calling to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the
temple was filled with smoke.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live
among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD
Almighty."

We need a continual, deeper revelation of who God is. We can never completely fathom
Him out so we can never say that we have ‘arrived’ in our understanding of Him. We need
to be asking Him daily for deeper revelation of His character, His ways, His …

Isaiah 66 vs. 1-2 This is what the Lord says, "Heaven is my throne and earth is my
footstool. Where is the house that you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being? declares the Lord. "

God is first and foremost looking to restore humanity into RELATIONSHIP with Himeself.
He is looking for a DWELLING PLACE in the hearts of people who will allow Him in.

"The Biblical Basis"

ie. What do we base our worship on? –

Tradition and routine? (we’ve always had some singing as part of our meetings)

Praise and worship is not to make God feel good - Praise and worship is our response TO
God when we see Him for who He is. Our response can be nothing but worship when we
see God for who he is.

The context of Praise and worship is always

linked to the revelation of who God is and what he
has done.
Sometimes we try and change the externals in order to have better worship in our
churches - we change the worship band, we get some new songs. Those things may be
good in themselves but it is only when we discover, or perhaps rediscover, who God is;
when we reflect on His wonder, beauty and majesty - it is then that we will find that people
begin to respond with genuine heartfelt worship and adoration for the God who declared "'I
Am".

The biblical basis of worship, therefore, is not that God needs to be worshiped, or even
that he demands our worship. The biblical basis of worship is not about us getting
something out of worship, the fundamental biblical basis of worship is about who God is
and what He has done - and our hearts’ response to this.

Scriptures That Speak Of Our Response To God:

WE WORSHIP GOD BECAUSE HE IS WORTHY

1 Chronicles 16:25-26 ... For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be
feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the
heavens.

Psalm 92:1 ... It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High

Psalm 145; 146

Exodus 15:2 ... The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. He is my
God, and I will praise him; he is my father's God, and I will exalt him!

Revelation 4:9-11 ... Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him
who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down
before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay
their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive
glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created
and have their being."

Revelation 5:11-12 ... Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering
thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the
throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the
Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor
and glory and praise!"

WE WORSHIP GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE

Psalm 107:8 ... Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds
to them.

Isaiah 25:1 ... O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such
wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.
(New Living Translation)
Psalm 89:5 ... All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will
praise you for your faithfulness. (New Living Translation)

Luke 19:36-37 ... As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he
came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of
disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen
(NIV)

Psalm 106:2 ... Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him
enough? (New Living Translation)

WE WORSHIP GOD FOR HIS FAVOUR, HEALING, AND SALVATION

Psalm 103:1-22 ... Praise the Lord ... He forgives all my sins ... He ransoms me from
death.

Ephesians 1:3, 6, 12 ... How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to
Christ. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we
belong to his dearly loved Son.

Psalm 68:35 ... God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and
strength to his people. Praise be to God!

1 Chronicles 16:29 ... Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come
to worship him. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.

Psalm 145:3 ... Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond
discovery!

“GOD is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his
greatness.” (The Message).

WE WORSHIP GOD FOR HIS UNFAILING LOVE.

2 Chronicles 20:21 ... After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to
the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head
of the army, saying:
"Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever." (NIV)

Psalm 31:21 ... Praise the Lord, for he has shown me his unfailing love. He kept me safe
when my city was under attack.

Psalm 59:17 ... O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the
God who shows me unfailing love.
Psalm 106:1 ... Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love
endures forever.

WE WORSHIP GOD FOR HIS MERCY.

Psalm 28:6 ... Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy.

2 Corinthians 1:3 ... Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of compassion and the God of all comfort (NIV)

WE WORSHIP GOD FOR HIS WISDOM.

Daniel 2:20 ... Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he alone has all wisdom and
power.

WE WORSHIP GOD FOR HIS GUIDANCE.

Genesis 24:48 ... bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of
my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my
master's brother for his son.

WE WORSHIP GOD FOR HIS WORD.

Psalm 56:10 ... O God, I praise your word. Yes, Lord, I praise your word.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE WORSHIP

1. We Delight in God - Psalm 27:4:

One thing I ask of the LORD,

this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

As we get a greater view of God we love him more and want to please Him.

2. God Delights in Us

Gen 1:31 - God was pleased with what he had made

Isaiah 62:3:

You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand,

a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
 - we are the crown!

Zephaniah 3 vs. 14-17:

14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The LORD has taken away your punishment,

he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.

16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,

"Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.

17 The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

- God sings over us

Our worship brings joy and delight to God's heart.

3 We Are Drawn Nearer To God

Hebrews 10:19-22 - because of Jesus we can confidently enter into God's presence:

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood
of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and
since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty
conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

4. God Draws Near To Us - James 4:8

We are sons and daughters - heirs of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Worship
changes us - God's presence changes things.

When we worship God he meets with us - he ministers to us, he strengthens our faith, he
intensifies his presence, he refreshes our spirits.

Genuine worship changes us! 2 Corinthians 3:18 :

 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from
the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Worship is the outflowing of our relationship with God - the interaction between our
heavenly Father and the children he delights in.

5. Our Enemy Flees

As Israel began to worship God would fight for them. Eg. 2 Chronicles 20: 21-22

Satan hates the worship of God - cannot stand the presence of God. – (kabod – Satan is
dethroned whenever God is enthroned. The key then is to make sure that we build a
Dwelling Place for God, a place where he is continually enthroned.

CHALLENGE
The question we need to ask at times is: Am I worshipping God? Or Am I worshipping
worship?

If we didn't have the songs, the music, the style, the band, the CDs, the buzz, the nice
feelings, would we still be excited about worship?

The basis of our worship, the focus of our worship, the content of our worship
should always be who God is and what he has done.

Jeremy Gadd
www.jeremygadd.eu

Revised 12th June 2010